Shelbyville mom accused of abandoning son with autism charged with kidnapping

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Prosecutors in Ohio have filed a kidnapping charge against a Shelbyville woman accused of abandoning her five-year-old son.

Authorities added the kidnapping count Tuesday against 32-year-old Heather Nicole Adkins.

Police say Adkins drove to a Cincinnati suburb last week with her five-year-old son, who has autism and is non-verbal.

She is accused of abandoning the boy on a dark, dead-end street close to a creek in Colerain, Ohio. Police say the boy wandered for about an hour before being found.

Adkins was arrested in Georgetown, Ky., on Saturday night. She appeared in a Kentucky courtroom Tuesday afternoon as she awaits extradition to Shelby County.